Note threatens shooting on Western Illinois campus

A note claiming there would be a shooting Wednesday on the Western Illinois University campus was found at an off-campus apartment complex, university officials said.

A note claiming there would be a shooting Wednesday on the Western Illinois University campus was found at an off-campus apartment complex, university officials said.

Bob Fitzgerald, the director of the university’s Office of Public Safety, said that an employee of the apartment complex found the threatening note in the complex’s payment box sometime overnight. The university announced that students would not be penalized for staying home from classes Wednesday.

"While this is an anonymous off-campus threat, it is imperative that we take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our students, staff and faculty," WIU President Al Goldfarb said.

Campus police, along with the Illinois State Police, Macomb Police Department and the McDonough County Sheriff’s Office, increased patrols on the campus.